City OKs planning for water filling station

February 9, 2012

WARREN - City Council unanimously gave permission to the city's water department to order engineering plans and for the construction of a filling station on its Elm Road property so the city can sell both untreated and treated water to haulers.

The city is preparing to sell water to companies that will need it for potential drilling of gas wells in Utica and Marcellus shale formations in the area. Drilling companies require thousands of gallons of water for the drilling process.

Water Department Executive Director Robert Davis told council members that he would like to build a new filling station that would allow the city to sell both treated and untreated water to haulers.

"We visited a filling station in Pennsylvania to determine what we may need," Davis said.

Under the department's proposal, a water filling station will be built on city-owned land adjacent to the current water filtration plant. New water lines will be attached from existing lines that already pass the water plant.

It will be designed so two trucks can fill their tanks simultaneously. A 7,500-gallon tank can be filled in 15 minutes.

Fact Box

The proposal

Under the department's proposal:

New water lines will be attached from existing lines that already pass the water plant.

It will be designed so two trucks can fill their tanks simultaneously. A 7,500-gallon tank can be filled in 15 minutes.

The filling station will be accessible to customers seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Because the station will be built on adjacent land, the haulers will not have to enter the plant.

Davis said the filling station will be accessible to customers seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Because the proposal has the station being built on adjacent land, the haulers picking up the water will not have to enter the water department plant.

"We will not have an estimate on how much it will cost to build the filling station until the engineer plan is completed," he said.

Although the ordinance passed Wednesday by City Council gave the water department permission for construction, the department will have to return to council to seek funding for the work.

City officials are in negotiations with two haulers that already expressed interest in purchasing water. Officials are trying to determine how much the city will charge for the untreated water.

"Once we get one contract done, we will use it as a template for future contracts," Davis said.

Because the design of the proposal is for the water haulers to be self-serving in obtaining their water, the department will not have to add employees.